21st Century Conceptual Visions" Elga Wimmer Gallery opening on Friday June 24th ,6-8PM

ELGA WIMMER PCC, 526 W 26, #310, NY NY 10001, T. 212 206 0006, www.elgawimmer.com

21st Century Conceptual Visions

Sangmi Lee, Gil Seo, Myoung Su Heuo, Helen Chung Lee, Eelkwon Kim, Junku Kang

Curated by Suechung Koh

June 24^th to July 9^th, 2011

Opening Reception: Friday, June 24^th from 6-8PM

Elga Wimmer PCC,

526 W 26, Suite 310, New York City

Through this show 6 Korean And Korean American artists present the recreation of images through a fresh approach. Their objective is not only to create visually appealing works but also ones with a powerful concept. They avoid literal or simplistic notions for the purpose of creating a visual language that incorporates the viewer's reading.

Gil Seo conceived the exhibition “Apatetist” from the word “apatetic” which has traditionally been used as a scientific term for animals characterized by coloration serving as natural camouflage. His goal is to apply this term to human beings to explore a unique perspective on beauty informed by what we has been traditionally taught but with a willingness to explore new vistas. Seo’s work in “Apatetist” represents masterful combinations of fine-art portraiture unified and interposed with detailed patterns of dead skin & leaves to reflect traditional perceptions of beauty, and notions of beauty expected of what was once considered as “other”.

Helen Chung Lee's work combines photography and painting.

When Lee creates her art through photography, she captures more than just what is visible through the lens. She wants to uncover the hidden meanings and qualities of the subject. Lee’s work is about maximizing the creative power of the medium through her own interpretation of the visible world around her.

Junku Kang captures the sensations he has when studying aspects of nature. He creates an interactive story through unlimited images and moods. In a sense his project is prosaic, in that it is about his everyday memories.

Kang's production has psychological, cultural, and artistic connections such as the ones forming in our minds as we walk around particular locations.

These memories are unconsciously stored in our mind or a large data space. This personal database is Kang's medium of expression.

Eel Kwon Kim’s bi-partitioned canvases of landscapes act as potent signs of a specific place or class, and are socially relevant. Kim’s evocative landscapes offer hope, for in them is a space for dreaming, an alternative to the city or suburb of reality, a place where anything is possible. The time element also plays a crucial role in Kim’s landscapes.

While the date is also important to Kim, it serves as a marker for remembering time extended to fit his own needs, as if asserting the day’s extension into imaginary time to become the sublime landscape.

Myoung Su Heuo tries to show sensitivity to analog through his work.

Variety of digital information and culture has developed rapidly. However, mechanization of knowledge and information brings about the loss of nature. Heuo combines painting with digital media as a tool to open new routes of art. Heuo believes that art in the digital age must contribute to the creation of artistic machines and cultural network environments. The only way for art to survive is not by 'technology' but rather through ART. The analog sensibility shooud be re-interpreted for the digital age.

SangMi Lee’s intention is to create a "nature of responsiveness" in the viewer. Lee eliminates depth of field to create images that consist only of a foreground, one that results in a ritual composition. Lee creates sharp lines with a gradual lightness in contrast (or as she puts it, an echo of memory). Using black and white, she tries to compress an experience into the tightness of the present moment. What Lee sees through the camera lens is her own reality such as lines that flower expresses like a woman’s body.

For More Information:

Elga wimmer Gallery at 212 206 0006

Suechung Koh at 201)724-7077 or pariskoh@gmail.com